Can-feeding device.



R. 0. WILSON & A. D. SUMNER.

CAN FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14. 1am.

Patonml A pr. 22, 1919.

2 SIIEETS--SHFET I.

15706 5 0g 6 (Z/J0. 427/217 [2 6207777677 m0. WILSON & A. u. SUMNER.

CAN FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 14. ms.

1301,3418. Parente ,1. 191:).

2 S SHEET 2- 1 1 IT] I11 HI if A? /?0g & M19027; 6 far/karma 50/777761,

BAY 0. WILSON AND ARTHUR D. SUMNER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS OF FORTY ONE HUNDREDTHS 'I'O FRANKLIN F. S'IETSON, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

CAN-FEEDING DEVICE.

Patented Apr. 22, rare.

Application filed January 14, 1916. Serial No. 72,057.

fornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Can-Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a can feeding mechanism and is particularly adapted for use with a double seaming machine by which .filled cans are sealed.

It is an object of our invention to provide a feeding mechanism which will deliver the .cans to theseaming machine in an upright position so that none of the contents will be spilled, andso that a can lid may be readily placed upon the can and sealed thereto.

Another object is to provide a positive feeding mechanism which will operate to consecutively deliver cans from a source of supply to a seaming machine irrespective of an excess number of cans supplied the feeding mechanism and will prevent choking of the machine and mutilation of the can in the event that the cans become crowded into the feeding mechanism.

Another object is to provide a can feeding mec'hanism"*with means for engaging and advancing the cans which will operate in synchronism with the can receiving member of the seaming machine so that a can will be delivered to the seaming machine at the same time that the can receiving member of said machine engages the-can and carries vit into the machine.

It is an object to provide a can feeding mechanism of such a construction that it will be impossible for cans to be mutilated as they are passed through it and at the same time provide the advancing can with positive movement. a

Another object is to provide an automatic engaging means by which the cans will be positively engaged at a rate of speed c0rresponding to the capacity of the seaming machine and which mechanism will disengage the can at the time it is engaged by the can receiving member of the seaming machine.

A further object is to provide a can feeding device of few moving parts so that it is possible to run the seaming machine at a high rate of speed without being limited by a can feeding mechanism which will not properly perform its function at such a speed without danger of crushing the cans nor interfering with their timing.

An object is to provide a can feeding mechanismof few simple parts and which isadapted to be applied to most of the can seaming machinesnow generally in use.

It has been one of the faults of most can feeds that the cans are brought to a sudden stop by the can feeding mechanism, thus resulting in the spilling of the can contents. It is an object of this invention'to obviate this objection by retarding the can without abruptly stopping it and thereby keeping it in a continuous forward movement through the machine without danger of spilling.

It is a further object to provide a can feed and timing mechanism which will operate to properly deliver cans to the can seam ing machine irrespective of the movement of the cans to the feed, thus making it possible for cans delivered in a. continuous flow or, intermittently to be' properly carried forward to the seaming machine.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing our can feeding mechanism as mounted to operate in conjunction with the can receiving member of a seaming machine.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view disclosing in detail the mechanism of the can feed.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the can feeding mechanism showing the operation of the can engaging member.

Fig. at is a section taken along the lines 4-1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a can engaging member.

ing in a bracket 12 of arm 13 secured to the main body of the seaming machine. Arranged upon a corresponding horizontal plane is a can receiving member 14: which is revolubly mounted upon a vertical shaft 15. The lower end of shaft 15 has a spur gear 16 mounted thereon said gear being in mesh with a gear 17 of like diameter secured to the shaft 11, the rotation of gear 16 being effected by means of driving mechanism provided for by the can seaming machine. Thus itwill be seen that the members 10 and 14 rotate at the same rate of speed, this insuring perfect synchronism between the can feeding mechanism and tne can receiving member of the seaming machine.

The cans are directed along their path of travel through the feeding mechanism and into the machine proper by means of a chute 18 leading from the can supply and following the course which will now be described.

The chute 18 is formed of parallel strips 19 and 20 spaced a sufficient distance apart to allow the passage of a can between them, said strips being led over the feeding mechanism at an angle of approximately ninety degrees to the longitudinal center of the machine .upon which both shafts rotate. After passing ver the edge of disk 10 said chute is led in an arcuate path of travel around the center of the disk and from there led off eccentrically to the disk, its ends terminating in such a position that a can will move from engagement with them into engagement with an arcuate recess 21 formed within the periphery of the can receiving member l-l. It will thus be seen that the cans will advance through the feeding mechanism along the path of travel as indicated by the arrow 11 and that after being engaged by the can receiving member will be drawn from off the disk along a path of travelas indicated by the arrow 1). This I direction of travel is not, however, material to the present invention.

In order to insure synchronous delivery of the cans to the member 14 regardless of an excess rate of speed at which the cans may be fed to the feeding mechanism we have provided a simple means for retarding the advance of the cans into the feeding device and insuring that each can will be positively engaged by a feeding and timing mechanism which will be hereafter described.

It has been one of the disadvantages of a can feeding device that due to the fact that the cans are in most cases fed to the machine at a higher rate of speed than the can seaming machine is able to carry them away, a great many cans have been crushed as they are jammed into the timing device. We have provided a simple and effective means for overcoming this difficulty, said means consisting of a rubber wheel 22 which is mounted to rotate with shaft 11 and is so positioned that it extends into the path of travel of the can and bears against each can as it passes, pressing it against the guide 19. In so doing it produces a revolving action upon the can due to the retarding effect of the guide 19, causing it to revolve along the guide member 19 in the direction indi-. cated by arrow 0, this action retarding its movement until it is engaged by a positive timing member. Thus it will be seen that the rate of speed at which the cans enter the timing device is immaterial as no worms nor star wheels are utilized to advance the can and thus make it liable to become jammed in the mechanism.

When the can has been advanced to the positionjust described it will be carried around the disk until it reaches the position indicated by the'letter (1. Here it will fall behind a can timing member 23 which is pivotally mounted between bearings 24 and 25 cast integral with the under side of disk 10. The can timing member 23 is formed with a bearing portion 26 adapted to engage a pin 27 and having arm members 28 and 29 extending therefrom. Positioned at right angles to and secured by said arm members is a vertically disposed can engaging member 30 which has an extension 31 formed at one end thereof, its horizontal edge being shaped to allow the can to ride thereover .and is upon a higher plane than the main is seen that a portion of member 31 extends at all times above the horizontal surface of the disk.

In order to insure a swinging movement of the can timing member 23 we have provided a face cam 36 having its main horizontal portion 37 in a single plane and having a raised portion 38 extending for approximately one-quarter of its circumferential length, as particularly disclosed in Fig. 6. Upon this horizontal cam face the rollers 34 are adapted to ride and will, upon mounting the elevated plane38, cause members 30 to swing through the radial slots 35 and into positive engagement with a can, this raised portion 38 being so positioned in relation to the rotating disk that the timing members 23 will raise at a point indicated by the letter e and will recede to their normal position at a point indicated by the letter 7. By this arrangement the can is positively engaged by the portion 31 of member, 23 at a position heretofore referred to by the letter (Z and is further engaged by the lower plane of member 30 upon reaching, point e and becomes disengaged from the isolate timing mechanism of the feeding device and under control of the can receiving member 11 at the point. f, this affording a positive means of timing each can individually.

In the 0 eration of the device the cans are supplied rom a can. supply chute (not shownin the drawings) to the chute member 18. Here each can is forced on to the face of the disk 10 by the action of the succeeding cans and is carried by frictional contact with the disk along the run-way 18 until it encounters the rubber wheel 22. If it so happens that the cans arrival upon the disk is at a time when it will register between the two projecting portions 31 of members 23 it will be positively carried along the run-Way until it is positively engaged by the main portion 30 of the timing member, this being effected by the cam beneath disk 10 having been encountered along its raised portion by the roller 34 which in turn causes the can timing member 23' to swing upwardly extending its vertical portion 30 above the face of the disk 10. From this point of engagement until the can leaves the disk it is wedged inwardly against strip 20 and naturally slides off the disk into one of the recesses 21 upon reaching the end of the run-way, said recesses being here shown as corresponding in number and location to the can timing members upon disk 10 and so positioned that they will act in accord with such members. In all cases where the can supply feed is equal to the running capacity of the machine the operation will be as described but when cans are crowded or when the cans are not running in a continuous flow into the can feeding mechanism the frictional wheel 22 will perform the function of retarding the flow of cans and each can in particular until it has fallen between two of the can timing members and has become engaged by a member 31. As hereto fore indicated, this result is produced by the action of the wheel 22, pressing the can against member 19, said member being formed in arcuate shape along the interval at which the wheel acts upon the can. It

will thus be seen that the can will assume a planetary path of travel both advancing and rotating and will be retarded until engaged by a member 31, this feature of our construction preventing crushing the cans or choking the machine and insuring the delivery of the cans to the can seaming machine as long as sufficient supply is fed to the feedingmechanism whetherit be continuous or intermittent. It will thus be evident that the can timing mechanism will act to place the cans delivered to it in time with'the receiving members of the receiving machine, irrespective of the frequency with which they are delivered to the timer.

What we claim is:

1. In a can feeding mechanism, a horizontally disposed rotatable disk, a series of radial slots formed therethrough, can engaging members operating through said slots and having vertical extending inner portions normally extending above the surface of the rotatable disk, and having outer portions normally below the surface of the rotatable disk, a can retarding means whereby the cans are retarded until engaged by the can engaging members, means for raising the outer portions of the can engaging members above the face of the disk, and a can run-way disposed above said disk whereby cans may be engaged and advanced by said mechanlsm.

2. A can feeding mechanism comprising a can chute, a rotary member beneath the cans in the discharge end of the chute, a shaft extending'upwardly at the center of the rotary member, a rubber wheel upon the shaft and having its periphery extending into the can chute, members extending radially from the shaft to engage between the cans and separate the foremost can, and members reciprocating through the rotary member to engage behmd a separated can.

3. A can feeding mechanism comprising a vertical shaft, a horizontal rotary disk mounted upon the vertical shaft, a can chute leading over the face of the disk and part way around the shaft, a rubber wheel mounted upon the shaft and extending into the chute, members extending above the disk radial to the shaft to engage between the cans and separate the foremost can from the stock of cans, and members reciprocating through the rotary disk to engage behind the separated cans.

4. A can feeding mechanism, comprising a horizontal rotary disk, a plurality of vertically movable can engaging members carried by. said disk, means operating on the rotation of said disk to raise and lower said can engaging members, means for guiding cans across said disk, and means for regulat= ing the feed of the cans to the can engaging members.

5. A can feeding mechanism, comprising a horizontal rotary disk, a plurality of vertically movable can engaging members carried by said disk, means operating on the rotation of said disk to raise and lower said can engaging members, means for guiding cans across said disk, and means for regulating the feed of the cans to the can engaging members, comprising a friction roller, mounted to rotate with said disk and positioned to engage the cans before the latter are engaged by the advancing members and press the cans against the outer side of the guide means.

6. In a can feeding mechanism, the combination of a pair of rotatable disks arranged horizontally alongside of each other, means for rotating said disks at corresponding peripheral speeds, a horizontal guide chute extending across one of said disks, a friction roller concentric with the last mentioned disk mounted to rotate in unison therewith, cooperating with the guide chute to engage cans in the latter and limit the speed of their advance, and means carried by said last-named disk for advancing the cans along said chute after being released by the friction member and for delivering them to the other disk.

7. In a can feeding mechanism, the combination of a pair of rotatable disks arranged horizontally alongside of each other, means for rotating said disks at corresponding peripheral speeds, a horizontal guide chute extending across one of said disks, a friction roller concentric with the last mentioned disk mounted to rotate in unison therewith, cooperating with the guide chute to engage cans in the latter, and limit the speed of their advance, a plurality of vertically movable radially extending members carried by said last-named disk adapted to engage the cans before they are released by the friction member and for advancing the cans and delivering them at uniform inter vals to the other disk, and means for raising and lowering the can engaging means.

8. A timing and delivering apparatus for timing and delivering articles to a given point at predetermined intervals of time comprising a rotating support, radial ribs associated therewith and movable with the support, stationary guides disposed eccentrically relative to axis of rotation of said support for moving the articles radially and,

for retarding the forward movement thereof for placing the articles in contact with the radial ribs.

9. A can conveying mechanism comprising in combination, a rotating disk of relatively large diameter and adapted to receive cans near its center, means for deflecting cans gradually outwardly to the periphery of said disk, can spacing members for separating said cans predetermined distances, and a continuously moving conveyer having a linear speed equal substantially to the linear speed of the periphery of said disk and having can engaging elements presented 'to engage behind the cans as they are delivered from said disk at the linear speed of its periphery.

10. A can conveying and accelerating ro tary disk having means for guiding the cans horizontally thereon, means movable to points above and below the surface of the disk for engaging the rear sides of the cans when on the "outer part of the disk, and means for first spacing the cans near the center of the disk.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

- RAY 0. WILSON.

ARTHUR D. SUMNER. 

